It is said that the "core of the game of golf" is having the striking face of each golf club square with the line of intended flight of a golf ball at the time of club impact with the ball. The present invention has as the most prominent of its features the provision of a device which can be easily attached to any golf club and which provides the golfer with a simple and efficient visual indication that the handgrip of the club and the striking face of the club are properly oriented so that the club head will be square with the line of flight at impact. In the playing of the game of golf various types of golf clubs are utilized, each having a shaft with a hand grip at its upper end and with a club head at its lower end. The club head can be a "wood" head enabling the club to be utilized for T-shots and long fairway shots or the club may take the form of an "iron" which is composed of metal in blade-like form with the head or blade defining an angulated grooved striking face which engages the ball to loft it to a desired trajectory and to impart a degree of underspin to the ball so that the ball may be landed in controlled fashion on a green or fairway surface. In many cases, it is desirable to provide a swing and ball striking capability of respective golf clubs so that the flight of the ball is selectively elevated to achieve the desired distance and is hit straight from the golfer's position to a target. In many cases however, it is desirable to impart a controlled flight to the ball, not only achieving appropriate elevation with respective golf clubs, but also achieving a degree of draw or fade to move the ball from right to left or left to right during its flight so that the landing position and characteristics of the golf shot will be controlled by the golfer. In some cases, extreme curvature of the flight of the ball is desired and a hook or slice of extreme curvature may be selectively employed by a golfer to negotiate obstacles and yet achieve landing of the golf ball in controlled fashion. These differently controlled golf shots can be achieved by controlled positioning of the feet of the golfer and the body position in relation to the intended flight of the ball and can also be achieved by controlled positioning of the golf club as it strikes the ball and controlled movement of the golf club during the period of club contact with the ball so that appropriate elevation and spin is imparted to the ball to achieve the desired results.
Since the shaft of the club is positioned in angular relation from the hands of the user to the surface on which the golf ball rests and projects from the golfer's position to a position forwardly of the golfer it is difficult, especially for a novice golfer, to determine the exact position of the golf club head when the ball is addressed or is struck by the club during the golf swing. Further, since the club head of both woods and irons is positioned in angulated relation to the shaft of the golf club, this factor adds even further to the inability of many golfers to accurately position the golf club so that the intended flight of the ball will result from that golfer's golf swing. It is not unusual for a golfer to feel as if the ball will go straight when struck, only to have the ball flight result in a hook or slice so that the flight of the ball carries it to an undesired location. It is therefore desirable in many cases for golfers, especially during practice sessions, to have the capability to visualize proper positioning of the golf club in relation to the ball when the ball is being addressed so that the resulting golf shot will achieve intended directionally controlled flight of the ball from the golfer's position to the target and land on the target in a desired manner, i.e. with underspin to stop, with minimal underspin to run or bounce to the target.
Although much of the golf practice activities that are done occur at driving ranges so that golfers can visualize the flight of the ball and make adjustments and corrections to hopefully achieve more consistency in setup, alignment, club positioning and swing, when the golfer is practicing alone it is difficult for that golfer to personally visualize this positioning of the golf club. Consequently, many golfers, even those having considerable experience, often misposition the golf club relative to the golf ball, both when the ball is being addressed and when the ball is being struck. Golfers often compensate for this mispositioning so that the resulting flight of the ball may reach the intended target even though the flight of the ball to the target may not be desirable. When a golfer mispositions the golf club and then compensates for mispositioning, it is logical that muscle training so that the golf swing can become repetitive and yet achieve desired results, it is very difficult to achieve. Proper muscle training is accomplished by achieving proper positioning of the golfer in relation to the ball and the club in relation to both the golfer and ball, and then achieve a proper swing repetitively. When this is done over a long period of time, the golfer's swing becomes "grooved" and thus is naturally repeatable and thus the golfer's capability of striking the ball in repeated fashion with different clubs and achieving efficiently controlled flight of the ball to an intended target also becomes repetitive. It is desirable therefore to provide golfers with the capability of becoming visually aware when a golf club is properly positioned or when it is positioned for selective control of the flight of the ball to an intended target. When this can be accomplished efficiently the golfer can then repeat club positioning and swinging so that efficient muscle memory can be developed for consistently achieving proper positioning and swinging of a golf club.